


Missing

by Archergirl



Series: Amaranthe and Sicarius, their future lives together [3]
Category: The Emperor's Edge Series - Lindsay Buroker
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-20
Updated: 2019-08-20
Packaged: 2020-09-19 07:21:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20327281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Archergirl/pseuds/Archergirl





	1. Hidden Talents

The little blond girl raced down the hallway of Montechelu Manor towards two figures that had appeared in the distance. She launched herself at the woman dressed in grey fatigues with her hair in a no-nonsense bun. “Mommy!” The little girl shouted with joy. Amaranthe deftly caught the girl in mid-air and hugged her to her chest. 

“How is my little apple tart doing?” She kissed her on the cheek. 

“Great!” The child cried with gusto. She turned in Amaranthe´s embrace and held her arms out to the silent, black-clad figure standing besides her. “Daddy!” She squirmed, trying to reach him.

He reached his arms out and pulled the child to his chest, resting her on his hip. She started fingering the hilts of the throwing knives sheathed on his arms. He looked straight into her eyes with what others would sense was no emotion, but his wife and child were somehow able to discern what he was thinking despite his flat affect. “Are you well?” he asked solemnly. 

“Yes, daddy, now that you and mommy are back.” She planted a wet kiss on his cheek and smiled into his face. He thought how quickly Anneka was growing and how lucky they were to have an extended family to watch her when they were away at work.

Amaranthe and Sicarius were agents for the intelligence service, and they had been busy of late. A little over three years ago, while on a mission to Nuria they had intercepted a message from the Kendorian ambassador, asking for Nuria´s help in acquiring some ore filled mountains in Western Turgonia. President Starcrest, who had just been re-elected for another five-year term, had sent troops to the border, effectively thwarting their plans. Afraid to enter into an all-out war with Turgonia, the Kendorians had spent the last three years launching border crossing skirmishes, trying to steal some land. They had mostly been unsuccessful, but they had sent multiple assassins to kill Starcrest, none of whom had achieved their goal, largely because of the efforts of Amaranthe and Sicarius.

When they were sent on international missions, they left their daughter in the joint care of President Starcrest, his wife Tikaya, Sicarius´s son Sespian and his wife, Mahliki. Sespian’s ten-year-old adopted Nurian daughter Mu Lin loved to act as big sister/babysitter for Anneka. They would play together for hours, exploring the hidden passages that had been built into the Presidential Manor in case the president had to escape during an attack. More than once the two girls had suddenly appeared through the wall during high level cabinet meetings with the president, their hair and faces covered in dust. They both seemed to have inherited their parent´s skill for stealth; Anneka from her father, and Mu Lin from her mage hunter mother. They loved to sneak up on the staff and watch them jump with fright when they appeared suddenly behind them.

Amaranthe looked at her daughter. “Come on, poppet, let’s say goodbye to everyone here and go home.” Her daughter nodded eagerly and clung to her father’s neck.   
************

“Why are you always taking my keys and moving them around?” Amaranthe asked Sicarius with exasperation in her voice.

“I have not.” Sicarius said firmly. They had been home from their mission for a week now, and it was market day. Amaranthe was searching everywhere for her keys.

Amaranthe eyed him with her hands on her hips. “Well if it isn´t you, then who is it?” she questioned. 

“Are you referring to these keys?” Sicarius asked, plucking the house keys out from Anneka´s toy box.

“Yes, how in the name of all the ancestors did they get there? I always put them on the hook on the wall next to the door when I come home, but they keep disappearing and I have found them in Anneka´s bed three times and now in her toy box. What is going on?” Amaranthe exclaimed.

“Are you sure you always place them on the hook?” Sicarius said. Amaranthe tilted her head and levelled him with a steady stare. Her neatness compulsion was legendary amongst those who knew her. 

“Yes, I am sure.” She said, mimicking his monotone.

He raised an eyebrow at her attempt to copy his speech pattern. “You say you found them in Anneka’s bed and her toy box.” He mused. “Do you think she is taking them and hiding them from you?”

“Sicarius.” Amaranthe began with an air of forced patience. “The key hook is higher than my head. Are you suggesting that a three-year-old girl scaled a smooth wall with no handholds and retrieved the keys from the hook?”

“She is my daughter.” Sicarius stated flatly.

“Seriously.” 

“I was able to accomplish such a feat at her age.” Sicarius informed her.

“Yes, but you are…you. Fine, Anneka, could you please come out here for a moment?” Amaranthe called the girl out of her bedroom.

The little girl with the riot of curly blond hair came out of her room. She was carrying a doll and appeared to be scolding it in Nurian. As soon as she turned two, Sicarius had insisted on hiring language tutors for her. She was learning Nurian, Mangdorian, Kendorian and Kyattese. He stated that the brain of a small child could easily learn multiple languages at once and not become confused. Tikaya, the pre-eminent Kyattese philologist, agreed and supported his decision.

At three, her speech might not be perfect, but she did know how to say one word without hesitation – daddy. Whenever she was hurt or scared, she would scream for Sicarius. He would come running from wherever he was and scoop her into his arms, scanning for danger. Amaranthe tried to tell him that she was manipulating him, and he shouldn´t respond quite so fast every time she called. But it was no use. His overprotective nature had him eating out of his daughter´s hand.

Amaranthe placed the keys on the hook and held her hand out to her daughter. Anneka came to her mother´s side and Amaranthe picked her up and balanced her on her hip. “Anneka, have you been climbing the wall and taking mommy´s keys?” Amaranthe felt foolish asking her such a question but Sicarius´s confirmation of his abilities at her age had forced some doubt into her mind.

The little girl turned her big green eyes to Amaranthe. She may have inherited her father´s unmanageable blond locks, but the innocent doe eyed look she turned on her mother was pure Amaranthe. For the thousandth time, Amaranthe thought that with her looks she was going to have boys breaking down the door to get to her when she became a teenager. Of course, once they got through the door, they would discover Sicarius waiting on the other side. Her lips twitched at the thought.

“No mommy.” She said. “I haven´t climbed any walls to get your keys.” Amaranthe felt strangely relieved at that statement. The thought of her toddler climbing walls like a monkey unnerved her. Amaranthe turned an I-told-you-so look on to Sicarius.

He remained unfazed. “Anneka, have you been getting the keys by any other means than climbing?” 

The child turned her innocent look on him, but he gave her one of his intense stares. “Yes.” She finally broke under his stare.

“Show us.” Commanded Sicarius.

Amaranthe started to put her down so she could show them how she was reaching the keys, but the little girl suddenly held her arm straight out towards the keys and said “Keys, come.” The keys lifted off the hook and floated through the air towards the child, landing softly in her outstretched hand.

Amaranthe´s mouth dropped to her chin. She looked at Sicarius and his eyebrows had climbed into his hairline. “That was unexpected.” Deadpanned Sicarius.

After a stunned moment of silence, Amaranthe finally found her voice. “Don´t look at me, my ancestors have been mundane Turgonians for the last 700 years. But yours…” She narrowed her eyes at Sicarius.

He had recovered his equilibrium and had rearranged the emotionless mask that he always wore on his face. “My father was Turgonian.” He stated.

“Yes, but your mother…. we know that she was the Kyattese ambassador and a brilliant scholar, but was she also a practitioner?” Amaranthe mused. “It stands to reason, most scholars and politicians in Kyatt are practitioners, I heard that their former president was a telepath. 

“I do not have the ability to practice the Science.” Sicarius insisted.

“Yes, but you do have the ability to sense it.” Amaranthe reminded him.

“I was trained by a mage hunter.”  
“I know, but what if your ability to sense it was actually natural, not learned. Two of Starcrest’s kids are practitioners, but Tikaya can only sense it. Amaranthe said.

They both looked at Anneka. She was oblivious, jangling the keys in front of the doll´s face. “This is going to make all of our lives much more complicated.” Amaranthe sighed. It was bad enough that Anneka was going to have to deal with being the daughter of an infamous assassin and an ex-outlaw, but all that might pale in magic hating Turgonia once someone found out her hidden talents.

Sicarius suddenly got the feeling that someone was watching them. His skin tingled with his natural sixth sense. He walked to the window angling his body so that the frame provided cover and peered out into the night. With the lights on in the flat, he couldn´t see any movement outside. He stood there for a long moment, staring.

“What is it?” Amaranthe whispered from beside him.

“Unknown.” Sicarius said and pulled the curtains closed.

The spy lay on his belly on a rooftop more than a mile away from their flat. He had been following them for weeks. He knew that if he followed too closely, Sicarius would sense him and kill him. He had been given a special Made spyglass for this mission so that he could see them from very far away. While peering through the spyglass, he had seen something completely unexpected happen in that house. He saw Sicarius looking through the window, and even though he knew it was impossible for him to see him so far away, the spy had remained motionless until he closed the curtain. He had then risen to his feet and climbed down as quickly as he could. His superiors needed to know about this development immediately.


	2. Gone in 60 Seconds

Two weeks after discovering that their tiny daughter had a big secret, they were enjoying their last weekend before they had to go on another mission. Tikaya, Mahliki and Amaranthe had gone out shopping for supplies together, Rias and Sicarius were sparring in the rings of the presidential manor, and Sespian had been left on babysitting duty.

He was sitting in the old Imperial Gardens with his sketchpad in his hands, struggling to draw the atrium of a new building he was designing. There was something not quite right about the dimensions. He looked up briefly and watched Mu Lin and Anneka kicking a ball together. He smiled as he saw how careful Mu Lin acted around Anneka, knowing that she was much smaller than her and adjusting her play accordingly. Anneka was chasing the ball, her tongue just visible on the side of her mouth as she concentrated with the effort. Father is going to start training her soon, Sespian thought. By the time she is seven, she will probably be able to fling me out of the sparring ring. He smiled at the thought and returned his attention to his work.

Several minutes later, he looked up to see Mu Lin standing before him. “Father, I can’t find Anneka.” She told him. 

Sespian looked up sharply and started scanning the nearby area. “What do you mean you can’t find her? You two were playing ball together a minute ago.”

“I know, I kicked the ball and it went into the tree line. Anneka chased it and she hasn´t come back yet. I have been calling her, but she doesn´t answer.” Mu Lin explained.

Sespian was already up and running to the trees with Mu Lin chasing after him. “Anneka, Anneka!” He called frantically. His heart raced and his stomach was tying itself into knots. He felt a cold sweat break out all over his face. Bloody bears! He thought, if he lost Sicarius and Amaranthe´s daughter…. He couldn´t bear to finish the thought. 

He turned and saw two enforcers patrolling the gardens in the distance. “Quick”, he told Mu Lin, run over to those enforcers and tell them we have a lost child and to come now.” Mu Lin nodded and took off like a rabbit. Sespian ran into the woods and started searching and calling frantically. A few seconds later the enforcers appeared at his shoulder. One touched his arm to stop him.

“Sir, have you lost your child?” The older enforcer, a sergeant, asked. 

Sespian turned around to face him, his eyes wild. “No, I mean yes, I have lost a child, but she isn´t mine.” The younger enforcer, a corporal, raised his eyebrows at the statement.

The older enforcer recognized Sespian from when he used to be Emperor. “Then who is she, Sire, uhm, sir?” The younger enforcer peered at his partner and then at Sespian at the use of the honorific. 

“She is my little half-sister. She´s three years old and she was just there, playing with my daughter, two minutes ago.” Sespian was trying to keep his voice calm, but he knew it verged on hysterical. 

The enforcers had frowned at Mu Lin when Sespian had called the Nurian child his daughter, but they recovered quickly. The older one spoke. “So, she is your half-sister, you say. I´ll send corporal Rolf here to inform her parents while we search the area. She´s probably just hiding.” The sergeant said in a soothing tone. “Who is her father?”

Sespian looked at him, his eyes full of fear. “Sicarius.” He whispered.

The two enforcers started violently at the name. “The Sicarius?” The enforcer asked. Sespian nodded his head miserably. “Rolf!” The sergeant bellowed. “Run as fast as you can to enforcer headquarters, tell them to send EVERYONE to help find a missing girl.” He turned to Sespian. “Do you know where Sicarius is now?”

Sespian nodded. “He is in Montechelu Manor sparring with President Starcrest.”

“Emperor´s bloody balls!” The sergeant exclaimed, then glanced quickly at Sespian. “Can this day get any worse? Rolf, send someone to the Manor and have them bring Sicarius.”

“Not me.” Rolf stammered. “Who is going to tell Sicarius that his baby daughter is lost?”

The sergeant thought about it. He was right, no one would go if they knew who the father was. “OK, just send someone and tell them to inform whoever is sparring with the president about the missing child. Don´t let them know what the father´s name is.” The sergeant thought of something else. “Make sure you send a fast runner so he can get away after he gives him the message.”

Rolf threw him a salute and took off like a bullet. The sergeant took Sespian´s shaking arm and said. “Let´s search these woods from top to bottom, with luck we will find her before he gets here.”

Sespian nodded silently, but deep down he knew she was gone.  
_________________________________________________________________________

An hour later, the woods and the surrounding area had been thoroughly combed by dozens of enforcers, presidential guards and even soldiers from the nearby fort. There was no sign of Anneka. It was as if she had vanished into thin air. 

Unfortunately, by the time they had informed Sicarius and he had arrived at the scene, dozens of enforcers had made hundreds of footprints through the woods, making tracking the child impossible. Starcrest, Amaranthe, Tikaya and Sicarius stood together watching the search. Sespian and Mahliki stood apart. Sespian was beside himself and couldn´t bear to face his father. Mahliki was trying to comfort him and tell him it wasn´t his fault. Amaranthe was pale and trying to hold herself together. From time to time, silent tears would course down her cheeks. Sicarius stood with his arms crossed like a statue. Only his jaw tightening revealed his emotion.

Amaranthe finally couldn´t stand it anymore. “Do you think she´s dead?” She asked him with anguish in her voice. Sespian and Mahliki moved closer when they heard her speak.

“No.” Sicarius said firmly.

“Are you just saying that to make me feel better?” Amaranthe asked through tears.

“No.” He said again. “They won´t kill her, she is much too valuable.”

“Valuable?” Said Tikaya. “Do you think whomever took her are planning to ransom her back to you? If that is the case, then we can help you pay any ransom that – “

“No.” Sicarius said again. “There will be no ransom demand.”

“How can you be so sure?” Asked Tikaya.

Sicarius turned to the group and said grimly, “She has our blood.” He looked at Amaranthe.

Everyone stared at him, expecting more. “What are you thinking?” Said Amaranthe, staring at his face. “Do you know why she was taken?” Her voice broke on the last word. “If you think you know, tell me!” The pain in her voice stabbed at his heart.

Sicarius stared at her in silence for a moment. Debating with himself whether to reveal to her what he feared happened to their child. He decided that Amaranthe had a right to know and took a deep breath. “If she inherits her mother´s knack for planning and my physical abilities, she will one day be a formidable enemy.” Sicarius explained cryptically.

“Enemy? What are you talking about? Enemy to whom?” Amaranthe´s pain was giving way to anger.

“With proper training, in the future she could be my equal.” Sicarius continued with no emotion in his voice. “No, she could be better than me, since she is a practitioner. If they have a shaman teach her, she could one day become a powerful warrior mage.”

Their friends looked shocked at the revelation of Anneka´s practitioner status. They hadn´t yet revealed her hidden talents to anyone. Starcrest was the first to understand what Sicarius was trying to say. His face first lightened with understanding, then darkened when the meaning of his words had their full impact.

“If they train her like you were trained, they could create another you.” Starcrest said slowly. “What better assassin to send on missions to Turgonia?”

Sicarius´s face looked like it had been carved from stone. “Than one that they know I won´t kill.” He finished Starcrest´s sentence.

Amaranthe looked from Sicarius to Starcrest, her face contorted in horror. She lurched over to a tree, leaned against it, and vomited.


	3. Don`t Just Stand There

Amaranthe arrived at their flat before Sicarius. He opened the door expecting to find her crying in Anneka’s room. After he had revealed his ideas for why she had been taken, Amaranthe had shaken off everyone’s suggestions to come home with them. She had insisted on coming to their home alone. Sicarius was in anguish over the loss of his daughter, but he didn’t know how to calm his wife’s tears. He had wiped away his own tears out in the hall and braced himself mentally before he opened the door.

She wasn’t in the main room. He heard her moving about in their bedroom. Sicarius walked into the bedroom and instead of finding Amaranthe in a heap he instead found her stuffing supplies into a pack. She had washed her face and was dressed all in black. She had the soft black boots that she used during missions on her feet and her hair tied tightly in a bun. What surprised him was the arsenal that she carried. She had her short sword, two pistols and three ammo pouches on a belt around her waist. She had her long sword strapped to her back and she had taken two of his daggers that he rarely used, since he favoured his black one, and had sheathed one on each of her arms. She was a woman on a mission to kill.

Amaranthe had never run away from a fight for as long as he had known her, and his daily training and sparring sessions had turned her into a competent fighter. But she also had a soft heart and would rather use complicated schemes to thwart the enemy, rather than killing people. He had inadvertently become proficient at knot tying since meeting her. Prior to that he had always killed anyone who got in his way. Now he tied them up, at her behest. But what he saw before him was a different Amaranthe. She turned when he came in, and he saw the determination and bloodlust in her eyes.

“Are you going to stand there or are you going to help me get our daughter back?” She asked him coldly. 

“Amaranthe- “He started to say.

She cut him off with a raised hand. “You are not going to tell me not to go after her.” She said slowly, dangerously. “I will not allow anyone to do to my baby what they did to you.” Her voice shook with emotion.

He closed the distance to her in two steps. He grabbed her hard and pulled her into a strong embrace. She stood stiffly, not returning the embrace, until she finally relented and wrapped her arms around him, squeezing hard. He could feel her shaking and trying to stifle her sobs in his shoulder.

“We will find her and bring her back unharmed.” He said fiercely into her hair. “And I will kill everyone involved in this plot.”

She nodded into his chest. “Not if I kill them first.” She said between clenched teeth.

They were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell ringing. Amaranthe pulled her head back and looked questioningly at Sicarius. He stepped back from their embrace and went into the other room to open the door.

Standing outside the door was Basilard, Ashara, Maldynado and Sespian. Basilard, Maldynado and Sespian were outfitted in a similar way to Amaranthe, with swords, pistols and knives. Ashara had her bow strapped to her back with a quiver full of arrows and a dagger at her waist.

“We´ve come to help you get her back.” Maldynado said somberly. Sicarius stood looking at the group for a moment, until Amaranthe came out of the bedroom, her tears wiped from her face. “I see the boss is ready to go.” Maldynado remarked, stepping inside. He walked up to Amaranthe and encased her in a hug. Basilard, Sespian and Ashara followed him in.

Sicarius stopped Sespian with a hand to his chest. “No.” He said, “Not you.”  
Sespian looked at him with an anguished expression. “Are you saying that because you can´t stand to look at me since I lost your daughter?” Unbidden tears shimmered in his eyes.

Sicarius´s eyes widened for a moment in surprise. “No. I am saying that because you are my son and it will be dangerous. You are not a trained fighter like the others, and I will not lose another child to these kidnappers.”

Amaranthe extricated herself from Maldynado´s hug and walked up to Sespian. She hugged him fiercely. “No one is blaming you, Sespian. We know it wasn´t your fault.”

Sespian returned her hug but found himself staring into the emotionless face of his father. He knew that Amaranthe would forgive him, but he wasn´t so sure about Sicarius. He hardened his own face and tilted his chin. “I lost her, and I will help you get her back. I´m not totally useless, you know. I do have my father´s blood in me.” He stared at Sicarius over Amaranthe´s head daring him to oppose him.

Sicarius studied him for a long moment, then nodded curtly. “Very well. Stick close to Maldynado and Basilard.”

Amaranthe stepped away from Sespian and Basilard came and put a comforting arm around her. She knew that both he and Ashara had spent time with their children lost to them and they could empathize with her plight. Although no one had planned to torture their children until they turned them into emotionless killers. Amaranthe shook her head violently to try to fling that thought out of her mind. She had to focus. Her heart ached for her baby, but she had a mission to complete.

Ashara was talking quietly to Sicarius in a corner of the room. “Basilard and I stopped by the Kendorian embassy on the way over here.” She was saying. “I suspected that my people might have been involved and caught one of them on his way out for the evening. Basilard stopped him and I questioned him regarding the plan to steal your daughter. After a bit of questioning” She tapped the hilt of her dagger. “he became very forthcoming with the information.” 

Sicarius nodded. He had also suspected the Kendorians, but it was good to have confirmation.

Ashara continued. “They have been following you for weeks, planning to snatch her at the first opportunity. Once they learned that she could use the Science, their mission became even more urgent. He confirmed to me exactly what you feared. They are planning to turn her into an assassin and have her kill whomever is president once she is old enough, and -.” Ashara hesitated before continuing.

“And kill me.” Sicarius said flatly.

“Yes.”

He knew that if they succeeded, they would start turning her against him right away. At only three years old, she wouldn´t remember anything about him or her mother and would believe whatever lies her captors told her. If they honed her magical skills, he would be powerless to stop her without killing her, and he could never bring himself to do that. He flashed on a memory of being a slave to Kor Nas, the evil Nurian shaman who had controlled his mind, forcing him to torture and kill the Forge women. The shaman had tried to make him torture and kill Amaranthe as well. If it hadn´t been for her quick thinking, and even quicker knife work, he would have been powerless to stop himself. He would never put himself in a position where he had to kill his own child in order to stop her killing him. He would gladly die first.

He shook off the thought like a dog shaking water from its fur. That wasn´t going to happen. They were going to get her back now. 

“Where to, boss?” Maldynado was asking Amaranthe.

“Kendor.” Sicarius said, collecting his own pack and weapons and fastening them about his body. “We have some kidnappers to kill.”

The group nodded silently and walked out of the flat. Sespian had requisitioned a steam lorry from the motor pool in Starcrest´s name and Maldynado climbed into the driver´s seat. Without a word, they headed off into the night.


	4. Mama Grimbal

By dawn, they had arrived about two miles away from the Kendorian border. The border was heavily guarded on both sides, since there were constant hostilities between the two nations. They hid the steam lorry in some trees and pulled branches over to hide it. Ashara told them she knew of a path that they could take to cross the border unseen. As a former Kendorian night stalker, she was intimately familiar with the country and knew how to slip in and out unnoticed. The narrow path led them around an unguarded cliff, then they had to descend to the plains below. The decent was treacherous, with loose shale and boulders, but they managed to arrive on the flatlands by mid-morning. 

They jogged towards the sun across the Eidolon plains, avoiding the road and hiding in the long grasses growing besides it. By dusk of the second day the dry plains had given way to woods and they knew they had almost reached the walls of Kendor’s capital city, Ishtar. They stopped a mile outside of the city gates to rest and devise a plan to rescue Anneka. 

Ashara had Sespian’s sketchpad that he had absentmindedly stuffed in his pack on her lap. Having been a night stalker assassin for the Kendorian army for many years, she was familiar with the layout of the Citadel, the Kendorian Chief’s official estate. It, like Montechelu Manor and the old Imperial Barracks had a warren of hidden passages and escape routes. Ashara was drawing the plans from memory. 

“How do we even know that they took her there?” Maldynado asked. “They could have her held up in some country house somewhere.”

“According to the embassy employee, her kidnapping was ordered by Chief Lushootseed himself. Ashara explained. “He would want her close by so he could observe her training. Also, General Hawknell, the commander of the night stalkers, is based in the Citadel, and he would be overseeing the entire operation.”

Amaranthe looked at Sicarius. His face remained completely impassive, but she knew that he was thinking of how Emperor Raumesys and Commander Hollowcrest used to “observe” his training, especially when he was having lessons with Major Pike.

“There maybe is a way that I can confirm if she is there.” Ashara was saying carefully. She looked at the team, walked over to a nearby tree and nodded to Basilard. “Watch my back.” She told him, and he nodded and took up a position just to the side of her. Ashara laid her hand on the tree and closed her eyes. She swayed slightly and looked like she was entering a trancelike state.

She reached her senses out through the root system of the tree, farther and farther away. She followed the roots of other trees, under the city walls and into a courtyard in the Citadel itself. The courtyard had green grass, some trees, bushes and flowers growing along a path. Through the eyes of an old oak she saw a child. It was Anneka. She was sitting in the courtyard crying softly to herself.

Ashara began to speak, relaying what she was seeing in her trance. “Anneka is there. She was in the courtyard; they took her out to get some air. She is sitting on the ground, crying. She misses her parents. The guards decide it is time to return her to her room. They try to get her to come. She starts running, they chase her. She is quick, but they are quicker. They catch her and she wraps her arms around a tree to stop them taking her inside. Daddy! Daddy! She is screaming. The guards peel her little arms from the tree and carry her over their shoulders inside. I can still hear her crying as they close the door.” Ashara opened her eyes, looking dazed and took her hand from the tree.

As she was recounting what she was seeing, Amaranthe was having trouble breathing. She clutched her chest, but the air wouldn´t come. She looked at Sicarius. He was standing like a statue, his face carved from stone. His hands had balled into fists at his sides, and the muscles in his arms were strained. His jaw muscles bulged from how tight he held them. Amaranthe saw him start to tremble when Ashara relayed how Anneka had called out for him. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, turned and walked into the woods until he disappeared from view. 

Basilard had appeared silently at Amaranthe´s shoulder and put his arm around her carefully. “We will bring your little one home.” He signed to her. She nodded her head and struggled to keep the tears from falling. She had to come up with a plan.

When Sicarius returned a while later, he found Sespian 20 feet up a tree, looking at the Citadel through a spyglass. He climbed up after him and crouched on a branch nearby. “What do you see?” He asked.

Sespian took the spyglass from his eye. He looked at Sicarius. “I was studying Ashara´s drawings of the Citadel and came up here to see for myself. I think I have an idea. Come.” He said to his father and climbed down to a lower branch until he could drop to the ground. Sicarius jumped down from where he was, landing silently besides Sespian.

Sespian took his sketchpad and quickly drew a rendition of the Citadel. He indicated the support posts on the bottom. “These are load bearing posts. If we set charges here, here and here,” He pointed to different posts. “I believe that we could cause the building to implode.”

Amaranthe stared at him in disbelief. “Are you suggesting we blow up a building with my baby inside?”

Sespian shook his head. “No, I was thinking about after we get her, to cause a distraction that allows us to escape.”

“Dropping a building on their heads is a good distraction.” Signed Basilard.

“That´s all well and good,” Said Amaranthe, “But where are we going to find blasting sticks? Even when the Kendorians were blowing up the mines in Mangdoria they had to use stolen Turgonian explosives.”

Maldynado opened his pack and pulled out two oblong objects. “Your blasting sticks, my lady.” He said with a bow towards Amaranthe. 

“You stole blasting sticks before we left?” Amaranthe said in surprise.

Maldynado stepped next to Sespian and casually draped an arm over his shoulders. “Did you know that when the former emperor requisitions something from the armoury and says that it has been approved by the President, they just hand over whatever he wants? Having him around is more useful than a set of lock picks. Lorries, blasting sticks, just name it and he can get it.”

“How many blasting sticks do you have?” Sicarius asked.

“Between Maldynado and myself, enough to turn that building into rubble.” Sespian replied. “I requisitioned the new kind of explosives, those that have a timer, so you can delay the blast and coordinate them to go off together.”  
Sicarius nodded. “Good.”

“Now all we need to know is exactly where they are keeping her so we can go directly there and steal her back.” Sespian said.

“Where is Ashara?” Amaranthe asked, looking around the group.

“She went to the Citadel alone to scout. She is familiar with the hidden entrances and passageways through the walls.” Basilard signed. “She also believes that she may have one or two allies within who might be willing to give us the information we seek.”

“Hmm.” Said Amaranthe. “If she can find out where they are holding Anneka, then we might be able to sneak in and take her out with minimal fighting. With only five of us and a toddler, we don´t want to do a full-frontal assault on a building full of armed guards and soldiers.”

Sicarius stepped close to Amaranthe and murmured in her ear. “If I have an opportunity to kill this Hawknell and the Chief, I will take it.”

Amaranthe nodded slowly. “Agreed.” 

Ashara returned to their camp shortly before midnight. She had found someone with whom she had worked as a night stalker years before. He knew her well and had never believed the story that she had poisoned her husband. Her ally told her that they were holding Anneka in a room next to the kitchens, since her constant crying had disturbed General Hawknell and he had ordered “that Turgonian brat” moved out of earshot of his offices. 

Unfortunately, there weren´t any secret passages that led directly into the kitchen storeroom where she was located. They would have to use the passages to get to the closest room, which happened to be Hawknell´s office, then take the grand staircase down to the kitchens. There would be a period where they would be exposed.

It was decided that Maldynado and Sespian would go in first, to set the charges. Then the rest of the team would follow and try to get to Anneka. Sespian told them that they would have twenty minutes from the time they entered, until the explosion that would bring the Citadel down about their heads. 

As they were getting ready to leave, Maldynado eyed Amaranthe strapping on all her weapons. He walked over, gave her a quick hug and said “Alright, mama grimbal, we are going to get your cub back tonight.” He waved at Sicarius and walked into the night with Sespian, their packs stuffed with explosives.


	5. Help from an Unexpected Source

Entering the hidden passageways behind the walls of the Citadel reminded Amaranthe of when they had infiltrated the Imperial Barracks and captured Lord Ravido Marblecrest, effectively ending the coup that he had begun against the Emperor. Amaranthe, Sicarius, Basilard and Ashara walked silently though the dark passages with Ashara leading. At this time of the night, the entire Citadel was quiet. They finally arrived at General Hawknell’s offices. Ashara listened intently for a moment and then pushed a hidden latch that opened the wall into his office. They had come out behind his desk and they silently spread out in the room. Sicarius scanned the room quickly and went to the door. 

“I am going to get her.” He stated. Amaranthe moved to go with him. “No.” He said, “I will be faster alone, and I need you to stay and keep this room secure for our escape if we are detected.”

Amaranthe opened her mouth to protest, but he stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. “Please.” He said quietly. “I promise I will bring her back to you.” Amaranthe was momentarily stunned. She had never heard Sicarius say please to anyone, not even her in all the years that she had known him. She closed her mouth and nodded. 

“I need you both to come back to me.” She whispered. “Be careful.” She looked at him knowing he would understand the deeper meaning in that statement. He nodded once, as was gone.

Almost as soon as he had left, a loud clanging noise was heard throughout the building. All three looked up at the same time.

“Intruder alarm.” Stated Ashara. “Someone must have seen Sespian and Maldynado.” They heard the sound of boots running down the halls. “We need to help Sicarius. Will you be alright here alone?” 

Amaranthe nodded. She took out her short sword in one hand and her pistol in the other. “I will guard the exit and keep it clear.” She assured them.

Basilard and Ashara slipped out of the office and ran down the hall towards the grand staircase. 

Sicarius had been about to descend the empty staircase when the alarm had started and in an instant, twenty guards came charging up the stairs. He turned and ran back for cover behind a column. 

“Intruder!” Shouted one of the guards in Kendorian and ran towards his position. Sicarius caught him with a throwing knife in the throat. Others pounded up the stairs towards his position. While more came from the hall that he had just travelled. He threw three knives at the same time, two to his right and one directly in front of him. Killing three guards with one throw. He pulled his repeating pistol out of his belt and held his dagger in the other hand. With his back against the wall, he prepared to make a stand. 

At that moment, he saw the guards coming down the hall to his right start to fall. Basilard was cutting men down with his sword and Ashara was felling them from behind with her bow. That left the guards on the stairs directly in front of him. “Go, go!” Ashara shouted at him in Turgonian. “We have your back.”

Sicarius charged out from behind the column and towards the guards on the stairs. He alternately fired his pistol and slashed with his dagger. The men leaped over the side of the staircase to avoid being shot. He had almost made it to the bottom and was turning to the left to go towards the kitchens when he felt a white-hot pain go through his left shoulder. The impact of the arrow spun him around and he shot the archer while he was still spinning. He set his jaw against the pain and kept running, heading for the storeroom where his daughter was being held. 

He could hear Basilard and Ashara firing at the guards, and he heard Maldynado´s yell as he appeared and jumped into the fray. While they kept the guards busy, Sicarius found the storeroom. He knew he couldn´t fight with an arrow sticking out of his shoulder, so he gritted his teeth, and broke the shaft with his right hand. He pulled the arrow back out through his shoulder, blocking the pain as he had been taught as a child.

With the battle raging outside the door, Sicarius, bleeding heavily from the arrow wound to his shoulder, stopped by the door to the kitchen storeroom. He listened for a moment before opening the door, his body held to the side to not become a target. All he heard was the sound of a little girl’s hiccupping sobs. He quickly stepped through the doorway, darting to the side and putting his back against the wall. He saw a slight movement in the shadows under the child’s bed. Having spent all his throwing knives, he tore his black dagger free from its sheath and raised it to throw. 

The figure leapt to its feet, grabbed up the child and held her as a shield in front of him, a dagger to her throat. Sicarius stopped mid-throw and froze at the sight. 

The guard looked evilly at him. “I´ll kill her, I swear I will.” He stated. “Now, just take out all of your weapons and place them on the floor.” 

Sicarius stared icily at the man. He shook Anneka for emphasis, and Sicarius crouched down, placing his dagger slowly on the ground. “All of them.” The man commanded.

Without a word, Sicarius pulled his pistol out of his belt, it was out of ammunition anyway, and placed it next to the dagger. “And the one in your boot.” The man was no fool.

Sicarius slid his last knife out from his boot sheath, and it joined the others on the ground.

“Now kick them over to me slowly.” The man stood straighter, still holding the girl around the waist and keeping the knife at her throat. Her huge green eyes spilled tears, and she gave her father a terrified look. She whimpered like a puppy who had been taken away from its mother too soon, and Sicarius thought his heart would break in half at the sound. Sicarius complied with the order.

The guard looked Sicarius straight in the eye. He was a very large man for a Kendorian, his skin bronze not pale, and although his hair was blonde and tied in a long braid, his massive arms and chest suggested that he had Turgonian blood. “Would you die for her?” He growled at Sicarius.

“Yes.” Sicarius answered without hesitation.

“Then die!” The man roared, and threw the child off to the side, flinging himself at Sicarius with his dagger raised. 

Sicarius met his charge and grabbed the wrist holding the dagger. They wrestled over the knife, but the big man was strong and well trained. Sicarius´s left arm was weak from the arrow injury and he had lost a lot of blood. The guard still managed to keep hold of the dagger and Sicarius was forced into a defensive mode. They grappled, trying to gouge at each other´s eyes while each kept one hand on the knife. Inexorably, the guard was overpowering Sicarius, and just when he felt the hand that was keeping the man from plunging the dagger into his heart start to slip, the child spoke.

“Knife, come.” She commanded, holding her hand out like she had done for the keys.

The dagger was torn from both of their grasps by a powerful invisible force. It flew across the room, landing hilt first in her tiny hand. 

The guard spun his head in surprise to look at the child. Sicarius saw his opportunity and wrapped his arm around the man´s chin and face, placing his other arm over the guard’s head and clasped his hands together tightly. He gave a sudden wrenching twist, using his entire body while holding an iron grip on the man´s head. He felt the neck snap under his arms, and he dropped the dead man to the floor.

“Daddy!” Anneka cried, holding both her arms out to him. 

Sicarius leapt over the body on the floor and ran to his daughter. He deftly disarmed her and scooped her up in his arms in one smooth movement. She flung her arms around his neck and buried her face in his bloody shirt, sobbing uncontrollably.

“You are safe. Daddy is here to protect you.” He said in his usual monotone to hide the flood of emotions he was feeling at getting his daughter back.

He gathered up his weapons, picked up the little girl again and slipped out the door.


	6. Why Are You Hitting My Brother?

Amaranthe considered barricading the office door, but she was afraid that the others wouldn´t be able to enter when it was time to escape. She could hear heavy fighting outside, and wanted to help, but she knew that if they lost access to the hidden passageways, that there would be no escape before the explosives brought the ceiling down. To take her mind from worrying about Sicarius and Anneka, she started rifling through the general´s desk. She found a file with her daughter´s name written across the top. Opening it, she started to read. Although her ability to read Kendorian was not as good as Sicarius´s, she could understand enough. The blueprint for training her daughter to become an assassin like her father was clear. They were planning to use many of the same techniques that Hollowcrest had used on Sicarius including pain resistance training, in other words, torture. Amaranthe felt fury in her heart at these people and what they had wanted to do to her child.

While her mind was on what she was reading, she heard the door creak open. An older man, his hair cut short, unlike most Kendorians, filled the doorway. He stepped inside, closing the door behind him. “You must be the mother.” He stated flatly in Turgonian.

Amaranthe brandished her sword and her pistol, “You must be the thrice cursed general who wants to hurt my child.” 

General Hawkness pulled his own sword from behind him. He slowly approached Amaranthe and circled her. She fired the pistol into his chest, but there was no sound. The pistol had jammed. She cursed and dropped it to the ground, grabbing her sword with both hands. 

“I am going to kill you.” She said menacingly. “For what you tried to do to my baby.”   
“I will kill you and then make sure your child suffers for every Kendorian her father has ever killed.”

Amaranthe waited for him to make the first move. When he did, she was ready, parrying his thrust as she had done a thousand times during training. She went on the offensive, slashing at his face, thigh and wrist. He was well trained, and didn´t give her an opening to allow her strikes to draw blood. Amaranthe kept him moving about the room, rocking him back with her steady attacks. He tried to take the offensive, but she out-maneuvered him. It wasn´t just her skill that kept her on the offensive, it was her hatred of the man. She was going to kill him if it was the last thing she did. She saw an opening, feinted one way and lunged in for the real attack.

He threw something to the floor that she hadn´t seen in his hand. There was a concussive bang and dark smoke filled the air. The force of the bang had thrown her backwards and she couldn´t see anything through the smoke. She slashed wildly with her sword, trying to make contact. The smoke was impenetrable. She felt a sharp pain on her arm and realized he had gotten through and sliced her with his blade. She jabbed where she thought the attack had originated and found nothing but air. She heard a loud groan and was almost knocked off her feet when the general fell to the ground, hitting her legs. She raised her sword in defence but heard someone call her name through the slowly dissipating haze. “Sicarius?” she asked.

“No.” Sespian stepped forward, pulling his sword out of the general´s back. She could see the passageway door was open, he must have come through the wall. “Was that him? Was that the one who planned all of this?” He asked.

“Yes.” Amaranthe said, wanting to kick his dead body.

“Good.” Said Sespian “We need to get out of here now. The charges are going to blow in a few minutes.”

“No!” Exclaimed Amaranthe, “Not without my family.” 

At that moment, Maldynado, Ashara and Basilard, his head covered in blood ran into the room. “Go!” said Sespian, ushering them into the tunnels. 

Sespian grabbed Amaranthe by the arm and started pulling her towards the opening in the wall. “No!” she cried again, fighting against him. 

“You know him, he will find a way out.” Sespian cried. “We have to leave, or we will all die.”   
He picked Amaranthe up and tossed her over his shoulder. She kicked at him fiercely. He started running with her through the passageways towards the tunnel out. 

When they had almost reached the exit that came out on the other side of the Citadel wall an enormous explosion rocked the tunnel. It was followed in quick succession by three more explosions. Dust and debris came rolling out from where they had just come. Sespian put Amaranthe down and held her arms to prevent her from running back into the tunnels.

“Sicarius, Anneka!” She shouted down the tunnels. Her shout erupted in a fit of coughing from the thick dust. She turned to Sespian like a wildcat. “Why didn´t you leave me there?” She cried in anguish. She launched herself at him in fury and pain, hitting him. He stood there, shocked, and made no attempt to dodge her blows.

“Mommy, why are you hitting my brother?” Amaranthe heard her daughter cry behind her. She spun around and saw Sicarius striding out of the dust cloud with blood soaking one shoulder and her daughter clinging to the other.

“Yes, why are you hitting my son?” Sicarius said calmly. Amaranthe threw herself at them both, engulfing them in a hug that threatened to topple them all.


	7. Chaos is Good

Amaranthe, Sicarius, Basilard and Ashara stood in President Starcrest’s office. As the four intelligence officers that had gone on the mission to Kendor he had called them in to get their report. Sicarius and Ashara had each found a corner in which to stand, with their arms crossed identically over their chests. Basilard and Amaranthe were seated in chairs in front of Starcrest’s desk. 

“Before you give me your report, I just want to say that I am very pleased that you got your daughter back. As a father myself, I don’t know what I would have done if one of my children had gone missing.” Starcrest said kindly.

“Thank you, sir.” Stated Sicarius and Amaranthe together.

“I was reading the Gazette today and there was a front-page article regarding an incident in Kendor. It seems that they are claiming to have had a catastrophic boiler failure at the Kendorian Citadel. Blew the whole building up.” Starcrest raised an eyebrow at the group before him. “Unfortunately, the great chief was away at the time, but it did kill many of their top officers, including General Hawkness. Pity that about the chief.” Starcrest added wryly. “The gazette seems to think that this will set the Kendorians back militarily for several years and maybe even prevent them from continuing their raids on our mountains.” He looked at Amaranthe pointedly.

“Boilers are frequently unstable pieces of machinery.” Amaranthe said innocently.

“They frequently become more unstable when they are around Amaranthe.” Basilard signed.

“Hmm.” Said Starcrest. “I also had an unusual visit from the chief of the armoury. It seems he wanted to know if I needed any more of those blasting sticks that I requisitioned.”

Sicarius stared straight ahead while Amaranthe smiled at Starcrest. “And do you, sir?” She asked.

Starcrest looked at Amaranthe and a small smile tugged at his lips. “Not at the present time, but I am sure you will let me know if I do, Agent Lockdon.”

“Of course, sir.” She said turning her doe eyed look to him. 

After they had given their report to Starcrest, Amaranthe and Sicarius went home where they had left Sespian babysitting his half-sister over his protests of never again. They cracked open the door the flat and peeked in. They saw Mu Lin chasing Anneka around the sitting room with the wooden sword that Sespian had finally allowed Sicarius to give her. Sespian was vainly trying to stop them, and Mahliki was in the kitchen cooking and scolding Sespian to control the children. Amaranthe quietly closed the door, leaving them in the hallway.

She looped her arms around Sicarius´s neck and stepped close to him. “It is complete chaos in there.” She said with a smile.

He looked deeply into her eyes. “Chaos is good.” He said softly. He pulled her body close to his and kissed her on the lips. Together they opened the door and went inside be with their chaotic family.


End file.
